John Muir Among the Animals

Posted January 3rd, 2018 at 9:40 am

Muir’s nearly disastrous “interview” with a Yosemite bear, his face-to-fang encounter with a rattlesnake, and hilarious stories of tending sheep – those “hoofed locusts” destroying the lovely meadows of the Yosemite High Country – are among the many stories in this very popular show. Also included is Muir’s boyhood remembrance of the passenger pigeons, which dazzled him with their flocks of many millions filling the sky for days at a time. In stark contrast, in Muir’s old age, he is made aware of the single remaining pigeon named Martha, held captive at the Cincinnati Zoo. The basic themes here revolve around animal rights and the problem of extinction, but are largely served up with Muir’s irrepressible humor. And Muir’s deep understanding and love for the animal kingdom was never made more evident – or more educational – than his telling of his frightening adventure with a dog named Stickeen. This quaint little adventuresome animal, with whom Muir gets lost in a storm on an Alaskan glacier, provides us with one of the greatest dog stories of all time.